Yamaha Announce 2 New DAWs

24-bit 24 and 16 track recorders 01/07/05

AW2400 and AW1600

Yamaha have been quiet of late - I guess their acquisition of Steinberg has given them plenty to keep them busy, but still, they've found time to launch a few new products.
First up are two new AW series recorders, the AW2400 and AW1600.
Yamaha hail the new DAW machines as â€œthe most advanced products in their classâ€� delivering new features along with ultimate audio quality.
The design concept of these products was very clear - To offer the customer a portable recording device but with the quality of a Yamaha digital mixer. Both products allow the engineer, producer, songwriter or student to take their performance from the microphone to the final CD without the need for any other additional hardware. As they say in the business - Total, one-box solutions.
AW2400
24 tracks at 24 bits with 48 digital mixing channels, 4 internal Yamaha effects processors and MY expansion bay.
A 40 Gb internal hard drive, mastering effects, internal CD writer, large backlit LCD screen, tactile 10-key pad and 100mm motorized faders make operation of this DAW extremely straightforward. Its features the ability to playback 24 tracks whilst simultaneously mixing a further 24 'live' inputs making the AW2400 a good fit for many different environments - from the home studio to live performance support and mixing.
AW1600
16 tracks at 24 bits. Building on the success of the multi-award winning AW16G, this new model now boasts 24 bit recording, 8 combo inputs, 4 band parametric eq AND dynamics processing for each of its 36 mixer channels. As with the AW2400, the internal 40 Gb hard drive and integral CDR-W drive allow for projects to be taken from performance to final CD without the need for any other hardware. With fast project backup to CD the AW1600 is perfect for schools and colleges where teaching time may be limited. The internal 8 voice sampler can also be used in a variety of different ways - from creative to corrective applications, its easy to move, loop and re-trigger audio files.
Both models share a number of new features for the AW series. The Yamaha Pitch Fix software plugin is a sophisticated creative and corrective effect embedded within the new AW's effects banks. By simply allocating the effect to a recorded audio file it is now extremely easy to correct any pitching mistakes without straining the cpu of a sequencing computer. Both models also feature new USB2.0 connectivity. Although the new AW's can be used as 'stand-alone', a large majority of customers do have the need to move audio data to and from these recorders. By direct connection to any USB equipped computer its now possible to smoothly move recorded data over to other platforms.
"Audio quality has to be a top priority for any hardware DAW and these new AW's certainly do not disappoint. New mic preamps, new effects algorithms, eq AND dynamics on every channel mean that these are the most powerful, versatile and best sounding DAW's we have ever made", said Peter Peck, Marketing Manager Music Production at Yamaha-Kemble.
"When you combine that mixing power with their ability to work with popular sequencing packages and the computer in general, we are delighted with these products. Initial public reaction has also been extremely positive and we look forward to hearing new ways that creative users will find to use the Pitch Fix functions."
The AW1600 will be available in the UK from August with a target retail price of Â£925 including VAT.
The larger AW2400 will follow in September with a target retail price of Â£1799 including VAT. For more information please visit